1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an Improved Mascara Applicator which is used to apply mascara to eyelashes. The Improved Mascara Applicator of the present invention incorporates a unique applicator design which permits each eyelash to be individually separated and then evenly coated with mascara and further contains a built in mascara reservoir which feeds each of the mascara coating flukes with mascara in order to assure proper mascara flow to each eyelash and further eliminates the requirement of frequently dipping the mascara applicator into a pool of mascara to replenish the applicator.
The present invention also relates to an improved method of manufacturing the mascara applicator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional mascara applicator known in the prior art and commonly used by most manufacturers of mascara consists of a spiral brush wound around a central metal core. In one embodiment, the spiral begins at the front end of the brush and the brush lengths increase in diameter as the spiral extends along the brush. At approximately the midpoint, the maximum diameter is reached and the remainder of the brush is of uniform diameter. In an alternative embodiment, the brush can be cylindrical wherein the brush lengths are uniform along the length of the brush core. In yet another alternative embodiment, the brush can be barrel shaped, wherein the brush lengths at the mid-section are longer than the brush lengths at either end. The brush consists of fiber bristles which extend for 360 degrees around the core of the applicator in a continuous spiral. The conventional mascara applicator thus described is dipped into the pool of mascara contained within the mascara vial and then the coated applicator is used to coat the eyelashes with mascara. The mascara applicator known and used in the prior art has two significant disadvantages. First, there are wide gaps between adjacent spirals. As a result, because there are numerous eyelashes on the eyelid which are very closely spaced, the conventional mascara applicator cannot coat each eyelash individually. The result is that some eyelashes are coated with substantially more mascara than other eyelashes, thereby resulting in an uneven coating. In order to achieve a more uniform coating, the conventional mascara brush has to be frequently dipped to obtain more mascara and then a different section of the applicator is applied to the eyelashes on numerous occassions until all of the eyelashes have been coated. This requires a very time consuming operation and also requires a substantial expenditure and waste of mascara. Second, due to the spiral nature of the design of the bristles in the conventional mascara brush, there is no communication between nonadjacent rows of bristles. As a result, mascara cannot flow from one spiral row of bristles to other spiral rows of bristles. Therefore, mascara is frequently used up on some bristles while not so used on other bristles and there is no way for mascara to flow from one row to the next. As a result, there is once again uneven mascara coating and further the applicator must be frequently dipped to replenish bristles where the mascara has been used up. This also results in a time consuming process and a waste of mascara.
Another very significant disadvantage of the helically-wound nylon brush is that it tends to clump lashes into twos or even threes, because the dense cluster of hairs in the helix or spiral always has a large airspace next to it, into which the lashes are forced.
Therefore, the conventional mascara applicator which is known and used in the prior art does not provide an apparatus which permits each eyelash to be evenly coated and further does not provide an applicator design which permits mascara to flow from one row of applicator bristles to the next.
In the manufacture of mascara brushes which employ plastic rather than bristle brushes, the conventional technique is to entirely mold the brush. While this is expedient, it does not facilitate the creation of a brush which contains a large number of closely spaced bristles.